Night Hunting Lights – The Nocturnal Marksman

Whether you’re a seasoned night hunter or a complete beginner, it’s a no-brainer that you need lights to hunt in the dark. This simple fact applies to everyone – even the most hard-core night hunters with the latest, most advanced technology such as thermal and night vision optics. Regardless of your methods, you will need some type of light at your disposal. There are several factors that will dictate how many different types of lights you need and their quality. Some of these factors include what type of game you are hunting, the methods you are using to hunt – for example, whether you hunt over bait, using a caller, etc. – and of course whether you are going to utilize thermal and night vision technology or completely rely on lights. This article serves as a list of some of the most useful types of light products that are available for night hunters to help you discover new products or assist you in determining what kind you need. This is not meant to be a detailed review of any specific products; check out some of our other articles for specifics regarding various types of lights. The following types of lights can be very useful for hunting at night – some are universal while others are more specific to the type of night hunting you’re doing. Handheld Lights (both colored and white) Weapon Light Attachments Headlamps Feeder Lights Blood Tracking Lights You’ll find helpful information in this article about each of these lights’ uses and how to choose the right one for your needs. 1. Handheld Lights Regardless of what you’re hunting or what methods you are using, it’s important to have a high-quality handheld light at your disposal anytime you’re hunting at night. I recommend a colored light (or two – one red and one green) and a very bright white light. The reason for having colored and white lights is that while colored lights are great for stealth, white lights are available in much brighter specs, which is good to have in case you find yourself in a situation where visibility is your number one priority over stealth. Thus, I recommend having a colored light for the hunt and a backup bright white light in case you really need to light the place up. Check out this article on light color for more information on choosing the right color and why color is important. Colored Lights As mentioned, using a colored light can help you maintain stealth because many animals cannot perceive some colors the same as humans. For example, coyotes, bobcats, foxes and wild hogs do not perceive the colors red and green like humans. Each of the mentioned animals may see something slightly different, but to them, red and green objects appear as shades of grey. There is a debate as to which color is best, and the truth is that both red and green are good choices. However, if stealth is your number one priority, I recommend red over green. Again, check out this article for an explanation as to why red is superior over green for stealth. While I recommend red as the most universally applicable colored light, if you are hunting wild hogs, especially at further distances, green might be a better choice. This is because humans perceive green slightly different than the way they perceive red, which can help the hunter identify the black color of the hog at a further distance using a green beam rather than a red one. Furthermore, hogs do not see very well anyway, so the hunter does not have to worry as much about the possibility of the animal spooking from the green light as much as some other animals, such as coyotes and other predators. Keep in mind, however, red is best for preserving your eyes’ adjustment to darkness. So switching the light on and off will not compromise your ability to adjust to the darkness as badly as green. If you plan to exclusively hunt hogs, a green light might be a better choice if you need more visual assistance. But if you’re going to hunt various game after dark or you want to remain as stealthy as possible, I recommend a high-quality red LED light. Suggestions: This one is tough because it largely depends on how far your target will be and what you are hunting. But the Orin M30C is a good choice regardless of the specifics of your situation. You can also mount this light to your rifle or shotgun. Check it out on Amazon.com, here. White Lights While some experts disagree as to which light color is best for hunting at night, most agree that a colored light is better than a white light in terms of mitigating the chances of spooking the game. However, when you’re out in the woods there are other things to consider beyond remaining stealthy. There are many situations where a hunter would need to see very well or perhaps even need someone else to see the hunter. Therefore, an extremely bright light is important to have any time you’re out in the woods after dark. A non-colored light can achieve much brighter levels than a colored one. Therefore, while a high-quality colored light is important for remaining stealthy, I highly recommend having a very bright, high-quality white light with you just in case you need it. Suggestions: The Solaray Pro ZX-1 is a great choice for an affordable, compact, bright white light to take along with you on your next night hunt in case you need some extra help lighting the place up. Check it out on Amazon, here. 2. Weapon Light Attachments While it is important to have a high-quality handheld light regardless of the methods you use to hunt at night, it’s a good idea to have a good light that you can mount on your weapon as well. Even if you use night vision or thermal imaging technology, a handheld light is important. However, if such technology is utilized, the need for a weapon mounted light may be diminished. But if you are using lights over thermal or night vision technology, a handheld light alone may not be enough to make a good shot. A handheld light is great for scanning the area to locate the game, but it’s difficult to shine a light and shoot at the same time, especially if you are alone. Similarly, it is inconvenient to scan the area with your weapon mounted light because this requires you to move the entire weapon around every time you wish to scan. So having both is key. By adding a light attachment to your weapon, you can switch to this light once you’ve scanned the area and located the target, ultimately allowing you to take aim and execute a clean shot. For this product, I highly recommend using a colored light – use the information provided above to determine which color is best. Suggestions: I recommend the Odepro KL52Plus if you are looking for a high quality, multipurpose light. This light allows you to easily change out 4-color LED modules to white, red, green, or infrared. This light is great for mounting on your rifle or shotgun but it also makes for a great handheld light. Check it out on Amazon.com, here. 3. Headlamps This one may be less universal and more preference-based, but a high-quality headlamp can really come in handy when out in the field at night. After all, you only have two hands; why not free one up by strapping your light to your head? These are great for walking to and from your destination or for scanning the area for eyes. Suggestions: If you want a high-quality headlamp for night hunting, I suggest the Wicked Lights ScanPro iC Night Hunting Headlamp. This headlamp isn’t cheap, but it provides many useful features and it is a very popular product among serious night hunters. Check it out, here, on Amazon.com. Bonus Suggestion: You can get Wicked Light's ScanPro iC headlamp along with their W403iC light, a high quality light that's mountable on your rifle, as a combo, here. 4. Feeder Lights If you have permissible access to property in an area where it is legal to use bait to hunt wild hogs at night, a feeder light is a must-have to ensure that you have a successful hunt. It’s difficult to operate a light and prepare for and execute a clean shot simultaneously regardless of whether you’re using a gun or a bow. A high-quality feeder light will allow you to see your target while keeping your hands and mind free to operate your weapon. They also allow the hogs to adjust to the presence of the lights over time. There are various types of feeder lights available – some mount to the feeder and shine down from the top while others mount on a tree or post and shine horizontally towards the feeder similarly to how a trail camera would work. Some feeder lights utilize disposable batteries while others run off solar power. You can find them that have manually controlled switches, motion sensor activated, and some have the option to choose from motion sensors to manual mode. So obviously there are a number of things to consider when shopping for the best feeder light for hunting. I recommend using a light that mounts on the feeder and shines downward at the ground. This helps expose only the light’s beam as it casts out over the area under the feeder rather than giving the animal a clear view directly into the source of the light which in theory should minimize the risk of spooking the animals using the feeder. It is also important to choose a light that covers a sufficient amount of area while not extending so far that it exposes you, the hunter, to the animal. 30 to 50 feet is usually a good standard for most situations. Suggestions: If you’re looking for a top-of-the-line feeder light, I recommend the Kill Light Motion Activated Feeder Light made by Elusive Wildlife Technologies. Check it out on Amazon, here. This light is available in red, green, and white. I recommend red over any other color because red light appears the least intense; thereby decreasing the chances of spooking that big boar you’re after. However, green is also a good choice. Especially if you’re sitting quite a ways away from the feeder. Green will usually allow you to see the dark-colored hogs a bit better, but it will appear a bit more intensely to the animals. If you’re really needing something that will light the place up, check out the EXTREME Bright version of the Kill Light, here, on Amazon. However, if your feeder is used for hunting deer during the day, keep in mind that while the more intense lights may not make a significant difference to the hogs, they could make the deer in the area more cautious when approaching the feeder. Check out more information and suggestions relating to feeder and bait lights in my Top Picks page, here. 5. Blood Tracking Lights The final type of light on the list is a good light for tracking blood. Your ultimate goal is to make a good shot on your target and get a quick, clean kill. But even the best shot placement can lead to the need to track the animal by blood, at least for a short distance. This inevitable fact renders a good blood tracking light essential to a successful and efficient hunt. The term “blood tracking light” can be a bit deceiving. Unfortunately, despite what you may have seen on crime investigation television shows, there really is no magical light with which you can simply scan an area and see even the tiniest bit of blood shining on a blade of grass like a new dime. You may have heard that ultra-violate (UV), or black lights, will make blood glow like fluorescent paint. But this is not true. While UV lights can be helpful to aluminate some fluids on certain objects, thus making them useful for some crime scene investigations, UV lights are not the best choice for looking for blood on the ground at night. What makes a good light for tracking blood largely depends on a number of factors. For example, the terrain you’re on can impact how effective one light may be over another. If you’re hunting in the fall and there are leaves on the ground with spots of red color, some lights may make these red spots “pop” making it difficult to differentiate between those red leaves and true blood splatter. The bottom line is, like nearly everything, there is no one light that is universally superior to all others because of the many factors at play. Recommendations: Top Recommendation: The light that I recommend over all others is the Primos Bloodhunter HD Shadow Free Blood Tracking Light. It’s a very popular bright white light for blood tracking. It is a bit expensive, but it is a high-quality light that I think is worth the money. It even helps aluminate blood during the day. Check it out on Amazon, here. Primos also offers their Bloodhunter headlamp. Check out the headlamp on Amazon, here. Final Thoughts High-quality lights are among the most important elements of a night hunter’s gear. Unless you plan to use the latest, most advanced night vision and thermal technology, lights are essential for a successful hunt. Even with night vision and thermal, it is a good idea to have some good lights on hand. One would think shopping for night hunting lights would be a simple task. But if you’ve ever tried to do it, you know how frustrating it can be to choose the best one for your needs. Check out some of our other resources to help with all of your hunting light needs.